TIMBUCTOO

The first mining was done in the ravines about Timbuctoo in 1850; William Monigan, who had a store at Rose Bar in 1850, was one of the first to work here. A negro was working in one of the ravines, and from this fact the ravine near town was christened Timbuctoo by William Monigan and L.B. Clark. A number of cabins were early built in the vicinity, but the first house was erected by William Gregory, early in 1855. It still stands just east of the post-office. A hotel was built in February, 1855, by Jacob Dufford. It stood across the road from the post-office, and was burned in the fire of June, 1878. Timbuctoo was the largest and most thriving locality in the township in 1859. At that time there were two hotels, six boarding houses, eight saloons in addition to the bars in the hotels and boarding houses, one bank, one drug store, two general stores, three clothing and dry good stores, three shoe shops, one blacksmith shop, two carpenter shops, one lumber yard, one livery stable, one barber shop, three bakeries, two tobacco and cigar stores, one church, and one theater. Another hotel was built in 1861, and a school house in 1862. The vote of this precinct was at its highest about eight hundred, and the total population about twelve hundred. In 1859, a union church was built by subscriptions of the citizens and a saloon was remodeled for this purpose. The Methodist Episcopal denomination was the only one that had a regular organization.

In 1878, the church was sold, torn down, and the materials used in the construction of a barn. In 1859, a fine wooden theater with a brick basement was erected. It had a seating capacity of eight hundred, and was frequently occupied by traveling companies. The old ruin still stands on the north side of the road, and is now occupied by Chinamen. The first school at Timbuctoo was kept by a Mr. Potter in 1856. The public school house was built in 1862. In 1873, it was moved to Smartsville, and joined to the one at that place. The cemetery, lying just west of the place, was started in 1855. The first burial was that of the three men shot by Jim Webster in 1855. It was fenced in two years later. In Jun 1878, a fire destroyed the post office, a meat market, saloon, the first hotel, and several dwellings. The population is at present about two hundred whites and one hundred and fifty Chinese. A.W. Thorp is post-master, and keeps a saloon and small stock of varieties. Besides this, there are one small general store, four Chinese stores, one Chinese wash house, and about thirty dwelling houses.

from Thompson & West's "History of Yuba County" - 1879.

 

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